As the RM of Estevan continues to await word from the provincial government, the future of the campground at Woodlawn Regional Park remains murky.
The campground, and other areas of the park, suffered significant damage during the June floods that devastated parts of southeast Saskatchewan.
Kelly Lafrentz, the reeve of the RM of Estevan, says they are currently in a holding pattern as they wait for the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program to send an adjuster with proper qualifications to assess the damage in Woodlawn.
"Our experience with PDAP has been that if you start cleaning up, you are better are off not to have done anything because then they'll say 'well, this wasn't so bad.' Because we have lost the season anyway we are waiting and hopeful that those guys will come and have this done in the next couple of weeks and then we are going to make a plan on what we are going to do there with the Woodlawn board."
Although a great deal of assessment still remains, Lafrentz didn't appear overly hopeful that the campground can be salvaged.
"I think the whole park is lost," he said. "Basically all the electrical has got to come up. The sewer system has been eroded away and there are pipes missing. The septic tanks are under six feet of silt so it's a big undertaking and we are not sure what we are going to do."
Lafrentz said they are hopeful of receiving a lump sum payment from PDAP based on the number of sites lost and the amount of money it would cost to place them which would allow them to move forward.
"Once we get a settlement, we'll go in and at least clean up the fallen trees in the old park and get something in there and just level all that silt and sand in there," said Lafrentz who added that the erosion to the riverbank and the resulting soft conditions in that area also remain a major concern for the RM.
"The riverbank is so compromised it might keep sloughing for years. We might lose another 10 to 15 of (edge) there and then how do you put the camping public back in there. It's a pretty big hazard. We may have to put a fence up just to keep kids from there."
Although much still needs to be sorted out, Lafrentz said the RM is beginning to look to the future. He noted the land on the east side of the park that was once home to the chuckwagon track is a possible location for future camp sites.
